THE KILLING FIELDS
Many people in the United States, and the rest of the world for that matter, are completely unaware of the genocide that happened between 1975 and 1979. The Khmer Rouge, and extreme political leader, targeted educated Cambodians throughout the entire country. By the time is was all said and done, nearly 2 million educated Cambodians, along with their families, were tortured and killed in the killing fields.
The one we visited was just outside Phnom Penh. I can’t remember how many people were killed at that specific one, I think around 10,000. The worst part was knowing that children were also victims of the genocide, mostly because of their parents’ occupations or social status. It’s hard to wrap my head around all of it.
One of the first things I noticed when we entered the killing fields was a tall building near the entrance. I couldn’t tell what it held at first, but the closer I got, the contents became clear…human skulls. Around 8,000 skulls to be exact. I kept thinking, “Seriously?”
We skipped the building and started walking around the rest of the site. We saw a large tree with low branches. Next to it stood a sign explaining its use to the Khmer Rouge…it was a killing tree. Victims were hung from the low branches and then beaten and tortured. The Khmer Rouge also hung speakers from the branches and blasted music all through the night. The music was meant to drown out the screams of the victims.
Then we learned more of the history surrounding the site. It wasn’t excavated until long after the genocide because it was believed to be a Chinese cemetery. For me, it was easy to think, “This happened a long time ago.” That thought was quickly erased. As I squatted down to study a headstone, I looked down and noticed what looked like cloth. Our new guide, Wang, informed me that my suspicion was correct. This had happened so recently there were still clothes and bones in the walking paths. Though this fact was disturbing, it put it all into perspective.
After we made our way around the grounds, we ended up back at the building of skulls. I was nervous at first, though I’m not sure why. I thought it might be disrespectful to take pictures of the victims of such a terrible part of Cambodian history. But the rest of the group eased my minds as they all moved toward the building with their cameras.
It was a very heavy afternoon, one I will never forget.
